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Liquor licensing video transcripts

A forum is a regular meeting of liquor and gambling industry representatives and interested community stakeholders who discuss local issues.

Who participates in a liquor forum?

Members may include licensees, Victoria Police, council representatives, community and industry groups and many more.

Who sets up a liquor forum?

Forums are usually set up by local police in conjunction with local council. The VCGLR provides guidance and assistance.
What are the benefits of attending?

By working together, licensees maximise opportunities to attract patrons and minimise potential incidents, as well as hearing from guest speakers and getting the latest news.

What is the role of the VCGLR?

The VCGLR supports forums by providing resources, educational material and regular email updates with important information about legislation, the latest news and advice on how to remain compliant.
What resources are provided?

A ‘How to run a liquor forum’ fact sheet

Stickers for venues

Forum flyers

Educational material

And much more.

What is a liquor accord?

A liquor accord is a document outlining strategies to improve the operation of licensed premises, reduce alcohol and gambling-related harm and keep the community safe.

How do I find my local liquor forum?

There are more than 80 liquor forums across Victoria. Visit the ‘Find my local liquor forum’ page on the VCGLR website to find the one closest to you.

For more information and to stay up to date, visit the VCGLR website or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Authorised by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation. Spoken by Zach Benn-Lawler.

Liquor signage

If you hold a liquor licence or permit in Victoria, you are required to display certain liquor signage on your premises. These signs, also referred to as posters or notices, are an important way to inform you, your staff and patrons about liquor laws.

All liquor signage is available to download from the VCGLR website. Once on the homepage, click I want to - print my signage - then select the print my liquor signage option.

The signage you need depends on the kind of liquor licence you hold. To ensure you print and display the correct signage we have sorted these into packs for each licence type. Simply select the one you need from the list to download your required signage.

The most up to date signage is always available on the VCGLR website. To check your signage is up to date, compare the keycode located in the bottom left corner of the sign against the keycode listed on the VCGLR website to make sure they match.

There are certain requirements for how signage needs to be printed and displayed. Signs must be printed in the original form as downloaded from the VCGLR website, no modification to the form or content of the posters is permitted, they must be printed in colour on A4 paper and be printed at a quality where VCGLR inspectors are clearly able to read the keycode located on the bottom left corner of the sign.

Once your signage is printed correctly, it must be displayed so that the information contained in them is clearly visible to the public.

Fines of more than $800 may apply for not displaying the correct signage or not meeting the printing and display requirements.

There is also optional signage available that we encourage you to display in your venue. These include barring powers, free water and the RSA principals.

For more information and to stay up to date with any liquor signage changes, you can regularly visit our website, sign up to our e-newsletter or follow us on social media.

Do I need a liquor licence?

Aussies are a festive bunch.

We love mixing great people, delicious food and of course, a couple of drinks.

Here in Victoria, any person or organisation that intends to sell or offer liquor for sale must apply for a liquor licence. The type of licence required will depend on the type of event or business you are running and how you wish to supply the liquor.

Are you opening a new restaurant or cafe, bar or pub? Holding an upcoming event and providing alcohol? Do you operate a club where alcohol is served? If yes, sounds like you’ll need a liquor licence.

So when don’t I need a liquor licence?

In many cases if you’re supplying liquor free of charge, with no money promised or indirectly paid, you don’t require a licence. You also don’t need one if your business is exempt.

Is my business exempt from holding a licence?

When the supply of liquor is only a small part of the products and services on offer, certain businesses are exempt from holding a liquor licence. This can include bed and breakfasts, hairdressers, florists, gift makers, butchers, hospitals, residential care services, retirement villages and cruise ships.

Restaurant and cafe licences

To obtain a restaurant and cafe licence, your predominant activity carried out at all times MUST be the preparation and serving of food.

If you’re more focused on the serving of liquor and only offer a few snacks, you’re considered a bar and should apply for an on-premises or general licence.

If you operate a restaurant and café, think about Responsible Service of Alcohol or RSA training. While restaurant or café licensees are not required to have all staff trained in RSA, we highly recommend it as a preventative measure.

General licences

Victoria has great pubs on offer. It’s hard to imagine a town without one. But what liquor licence to you need to operate a pub, hotel or tavern? Depending on your situation, you can apply for two different types of liquor licences, general and late night (general).

General licence

A general licence authorises the supply of liquor for consumption both on and off a licensed premises.

Who needs a general licence?

Any business with appropriate planning permission that wishes to supply alcohol for consumption on the premises, as well as to take away for consumption off the premises. Pubs, hotels and some taverns would normally hold a general licence.

Late night (general) licence

The same criteria applies as a general licence, but the late night general licence authorises the supply of alcohol for on-premises and off-premises consumption after 1am.

Temporary licences for limited events

A liquor licence is required for your event if liquor is:

Sold or offered for sale. Sales of liquor can include both direct and indirect sales (for example you pay for a ticket to an event and receive a free drink upon arrival)

consumed on a premises occupied by a club, or a premises where food is usually served to the public for consumption on the premises.

If your situation doesn't fall into these categories, a licence or permit may not be required. Contact us to find out more.

However, regardless of whether we require you to get a licence or permit, the premises owner may require you to get one to use their space.

What is a temporary event?

A temporary licence authorises the licensee to supply liquor at the times and subject to the conditions specified in the licence. For example a temporary licence may be granted:

for the supply of liquor at one-off events or a series of one-off events. For example, a food and wine festival

to increase trading hours or the size of the licensed premises of an existing licensee for a particular one-off event. For example, to hold a wedding reception at a licenses premises beyond the normal premises licence hours

Types of events that usually require a temporary liquor licence?

Low impact events

This includes fetes, markets and private celebrations. If there are indirect sales (for example you pay for a ticket to an event and receive a free drink upon arrival) of any kind you’ll need a temporary licence.

If you are an existing licensee and wish to extend your trading hours for a one-off or limited series of special events, you’ll need a temporary licence.

High impact events

If a group of traders want to organise a street festival with al fresco dining areas serving alcohol, along with entertainment, this would most likely require a temporary licence.

Major event licences

However, if the event is going to attract over 5000 people, involve entertainment that runs late into the night and have a significant impact on traffic and public transport, it may end up being designated a major event. Then you’ll need a major event licence.

Major event licences are essentially temporary licences, but cost significantly more. They take a bit of management, so if you think you might be running a "major event”, contact us.

On-premises licences

If you want to sell alcohol for people to consume on your licensed premises you’ll need an on-premises licence. Bars and night clubs usually hold an on-premises licence.

It is quite flexible, BUT the biggest thing to ensure is that you ALSO have planning permission or council approval to use your premises for on-site consumption. Even if you’re granted an on-premises licence, you need to adhere to council requirements.

For example, the licence allows live music to be played, but if there are council noise restrictions in place, you must adhere to those.

Late night (on-premises) licence

Businesses wishing to trade with an on-premises liquor licence past 1am need to apply for a late night on-premises licence.